AI regulation in Malawi (2026)

In February 2026, Malawi's Ministry of ICT, partnering with UNDP's Inclusive Digital Transformation for Malawi (IDT4M) project, held a formal validation workshop for the Draft National AI Strategy and Draft Digital Transformation Strategy. A public portal was launched to collect citizen feedback before finalisation.

Malawi enacted the Data Protection Act in June 2024, designating MACRA (Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority) as the Data Protection Authority. While not AI-specific, it applies to AI systems processing personal data and is the primary enforceable legal instrument touching AI use.

Malawi is implementing UNESCO's 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, having conducted a national conference and launched a Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) study to evaluate the country's capacity for responsible AI adoption. The Malawi National Commission for UNESCO and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology are co-leading this effort.

MACRA announced in 2025 the preparation of a regulatory sandbox explicitly covering AI, IoT, big data analytics, and OTT services, intended to reduce regulatory delays for emerging technology pilots and support innovation-led digital governance.

In February 2026, all Principal Secretaries across Malawi's cabinet ministries underwent high-level AI training funded by UNDP and the World Bank (Digital Malawi Acceleration Project), signalling a whole-of-government push to embed AI literacy ahead of formal policy adoption.

As an African Union member state, Malawi is covered by the AU Continental AI Strategy approved in July 2024, which mandates Phase 1 governance structure establishment (2025–2026) across all 55 member states, providing a supranational framework while national legislation remains pending.